Listen to a quick teaser for this episode by clicking the button below:
On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a lifelong career in sewing with my guest, Nancy Zieman.
Nancy Zieman is an author, designer, businesswomen, TV producer, blogger and national sewing authority. She’s the host of the popular show Sewing With Nancy®, which appears exclusively on public television stations across the United States and Canada. You can watch Sewing With Nancy® online at nancyzieman.com.
Sewing With Nancy® is a co-production of Wisconsin Public Television and Nancy Zieman Productions. Broadcast since September 1982, the program is the longest-airing sewing series on television. Nancy organizes each show in a how-to format, concentrating on step-by-step instructions.
Nancy has written numerous how-to sewing and quilting books, and released her autobiography, Seams Unlikely (affiliate link), in 2013. She designs patterns for the New York-based McCall Pattern Company, designs sewing and quilting products for Clover Needlecraft, Inc., designs fabric collections with Riley Blake Designs, and also writes an interactive blog at nancyzieman.com/blog.
In addition, Nancy is founder of Nancy’s Notions®, a division of Tacony Corporation. The company publishes the Nancy’s Notions® Catalog, a full color catalog containing hundreds of products including sewing books, notions, videos and DVDs, fabrics, and quilting products. Nancy is also the National Spokesperson for Baby Lock sewing machines and Nancy’s Notions®.
Nancy lives in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, with her husband, Richard. The couple has two children and three grandchildren.
 If you’ve never watched Sewing with Nancy, here’s a taste of the show.
We begin in the fall of 1982 when Nancy was just getting ready to film the first episode of Sewing with Nancy and trace the development of Nancy’s career. Learn how Nancy thinks about the show’s mission and get a look at what happens behind-the-scenes. Nancy describes herself as a private and reserved person and she explains how she overcomes this in order to be in front of the camera.
Nancy talks about her decision to talk openly about having Bell’s palsy on the show and how it became the springboard for writing her memoir.
Hear how Nancy founded Nancy’s Notions from her kitchen table. This was at a time before there were 1-800 numbers. The company was founded via direct mail and Nancy collected addresses on index cards which her secretary entered on Avery labels which they mimeographed. Hear how the business grew exponentially since its humble beginnings and why Nancy decided to sell the business a few years ago.
We end by talking about how Nancy sees the future of the home sewing industry.
And, of course, ask Nancy to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Nancy recommends:
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (affiliate link) and I recommend Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance (affiliate link)
- Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl on Audible
- knitting felted slippers
Keep up with Nancy on her blog.
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Today’s episode is sponsored by Storey Publishing. Storey Publishing offers quality books on crafting, gardening, natural health and wellness, cooking, and sustainable living. Their quilting, sewing, and fiber craft books are some of my favorites. Storey’s expert craft authors include recent Craft Industry Alliance guest and QuiltCon presenter Thomas Knauer, author of The Quilt Design Coloring Workbook. You can all get a free downloadable quilt design coloring template from the book on Storey’s website.
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You can listen to this episode by clicking on the green arrow below, or subscribe to the Craft Industry Alliance podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher so you never miss an episode. If you enjoy the show, tell a friend about it! Thank you so much.
I really enjoyed this. Thank you for doing it.
I really enjoyed this podcast interview. Nancy is an inspiration in so many ways and still humble & totally down to earth about what she has done with her life …so far! Well worth an hour of time
I agree, Kathy. Nancy is very inspiring to me.
I have enjoyed Sewing with Nancy for almost as many years as it has been on TV.
Your story helped me get another view of what it is like to start a business . My 38 year old son has done this. It was interesting to hear similar things that happened. I came from a very risk free background. It has ben scary at times to watch his progress. He thrives on risk taking and thinking of new ways to do thinking as well as doing things.
I commend you for all the hard work that you and your husband have put into your company.
I had my son in the same time period as you. I think that there was such guilt put on parents.
Thank you for the many ideas that you shared with me as well as my sister and others. When you first started
sharing ways of doing things , you were very good at sharing alternate “tools or ways” that could be used to accomplish a given sewing task. That was helpful financially but helped me think creatively about my own sewing. I know that it must have been hard for you to give alternate way for doing something. Thanks so much for sharing this podcast. I don’t usually do podcasts. It was a nice experience.
May 16,2017
I’m so glad you enjoyed the interview, Jo.
I so enjoyed this hour. I have been A Sewing With Nancy watcher for a long time and yet some of the conversation was so informative. I felt like I was there talking to Nancy myself. And some of my questions were answered and some new thoughts I will be pondering over. Thank you both for a wonderful and friendly hour.
You’re welcome. Thank you for listening.
I have been watching Nancy Zeman on tv for many years she truly has the best sewing show on tv and always has. I enjoyed hearing about her life and I will purchase her book. Thank you Nancy for all you do and have done. Elaine
Thank you for this interview. Nancy was one of my first sewing and quilting teachers during the late 1980s -early 1990s when I was living in Rockville, Maryland. I combined her shows with classes at my local fabric shop, G Street Fabrics. I also bought notions, books and fabric from her catalog. She will always be an inspiration to me. I admire that she has continued to work after her serious health issues (which I didn’t know about).
I lived in Potomac, Maryland in those years and bought my first machine at G Street.
I also bought my machines from them. Although we are now living in Northern Virginia, I still go back to Rockville to bring my Bernina for servicing at G Street.
Really enjoyed this interview. I, too, have watched and followed Nancy think from the very beginning! She is an inspiration!
What an inspiring woman Nancy is and this was another terrific interview. Thank you!
I was struck by the conversation about the free tutorials and patterns on the web as I had a similar thought this week. I went to a LQS to purchase a new book from a blogger that I follow. But when I looked at the book I realized that I’d already seen every single quilt shown in the book and most if them had tutorials on her website. Hmmm…I lost my motivation to own the book and I spent some time thinking about why a bright, talented maker gave away so much that it was a detriment to me buying her product. I rarely buy quilting or crafting magazines anymore as I’ve often already seen the quilts/crafts on the artist’s website or on Instagram. I don’t know the answer as these artists deserve to be paid for their work but how do they differentiate themselves in an environment where free materials are readily available?
Interesting questions, Barb. I’ll note that you went to the shop to seek out a book by an author you know about because of her blog. You know about Nancy because she’s on TV, but that’s a one in a million opportunity. Blogging is something anyone can do that can lead to becoming an author, designer, national teacher, etc.
What a fascinating interview! I guess my bias is showing through as a younger-ish quilter that I wasn’t expecting to like this, but I got so much out of it. Nancy is such an interesting person and an inspiring businesswoman! Abby – thank you for branching out into different parts of the industry to find your guests! And thank you for making me more open minded!
I’m so glad you liked the interview. Nancy’s story is very inspiring to me.
Excellent episode Abby. I didn’t know all that much about Nancy but really enjoyed listening to both of you talk. I am about the same age as Nancy and it was quite nostalgic to remember life before technology. When she mentioned the price of her first copier, it reminded me that the first laser printer I bought, back in 1991, was $2,000. Can you even imagine?? Times, they are a’ changin! 😉
Great job, as always. Also loved the live video chat today on Facebook. I am ready to look into hosting my shop both on my wordpress site as well as keeping my Etsy shop open. Loved your business model as described this morning.
Thank you so much, Bernie.
THANK YOU, Abby, for this interview–it was fabulous and you did a great job with it. It was nice to hear Nancy being interviewed for a change! Her story is so interesting. Her book is very interesting, and I recommend that any of her fans get a copy for themselves. I was glad to hear that she is doing well after her recent health issues.
Thank you for listening, Kerry.
What an incredible interview. Good on you for getting this iconic legend on your show. Nancy is so inspiring. Thanks for doing this.
Hi Abby – I have been listening to your podcasts for about 8 months but have never written to let you know how much I enjoy them. So much so that I have downloaded those that aired before I found you on itunes and will listen to them as I am able. While I’m a quilter, I find I enjoy and learn something from every one of your podcasts, even if the topic/guest is someone whom I don’t think I would have much of an interest. I listen and get swept into enjoying every one!
I ‘ve thought it kind of funny that I live in Arlington, VA so close to Potomac, MD where you grew up, and went to college in Boston (more years ago than I care to admit) near where you live now.
I really enjoyed your podcast on Nancy Zieman. I always felt she was a little stiff on TV in the 6 months or so since I have known about and watched her show but I am a true fan of hers now that I have heard her story and got a feel for her sense of humor and her journey to where she is now. What an entrepreneur and an inspirational, fascinating woman! She seems so warm and down to earth!
Keep up the good work, Abby!
Thank you so much for these lovely words, Jennifer!